Harry and John Potter: year 1
by HellIsHere
Summary: Harry has a twin brother who seems to be channeling the spirit of their father, James, and Dudley has a twin sister, Delilah, a muggleborn witch. How will they change the most tumultuous years of the life of the boy who lived and those around him? Mild language
1. The big friendly half-giant

To the untrained eye, the night between November the first and second, 1981 would have been a relatively ordinary Halloween night. Decorations were still out, but everyone (or very nearly everyone) was fast asleep.

However, the residents of Privet Drive had no idea that one of the most significant events in history had just occurred.

This was due to the fact that it was a magical incident. The most powerful Dark wizard in known history had been bested. By a one year old baby.

Harry Potter and his family were attacked by Lord Voldemort, who quickly dispatched the parents, James and Lily, before his wand was turned on Harry. His twin brother, John sat by and watched as an incredibly powerful wizard's own curse was turned against him by a seemingly normal wizard baby.

Harry Potter would become famous for the events of that very night. However, he was only left with his brother.

On Privet drive, an aged, very wise looking man, Albus Dumbledore appeared to be taking a stroll at an absurd hour. However, he had a purpose. Protecting Harry Potter, leaving him somewhere safe, along with his brother.

Dumbledore came to a stop near house number 4.

Nearby, an inquisitive tabby cat approached the old man.

To any onlooker this would appear to be a perfectly normal scene, until something extraordinary happened.

"I should have known you would be here. Professor Mcgonagall".

Before the old man's eyes, the tabby quickly morphed into the form of an intelligent, aging woman with a stern face and hair tied into a tight bun. Minerva McGonagall.

"Good evening professor Dumbledore. Are the rumours true Albus? Is he really gone?"

"Yes, but not dead. For now we can celebrate of course, but there are more rumours than just the downfall of Voldemort. It seems that Lily and James Potter... are dead."

Professor Mcgonagall clasped her hand over her mouth and her professional manner had suddenly vanished.

"Lily and James… I don't want to believe… It can't be." She said, disjointedly.

Dumbledore patted her shoulder.

"I know, I know. But the boys are unharmed. They shall be brought here, to their uncle and aunt." Said Dumbledore.

"Are you sure they should be left with these people? I've been watching them all day, they shouldn't be the ones to look after the boys, they are the worst sort of muggles imaginable! I would be surprised if they could look after their own children! They really are-"

"The only family they have left. It would be better that they grow up here than with any wizarding family, where Harry would be subjected to relentless mobbing, if not by the family, then by any that they encounter. And John would grow up in his shadow, constantly being known simply as 'the other one' or some such title." Said Dumbledore.

"How are they being brought here?" asked McGonagall.

"Hagrid is bringing them here." Dumbledore explained.

"Do you think it wise, to trust Hagrid with such an important matter?" McGonagall asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Ah Miverva, I would trust Hagrid with my life."

A humming noise could be heard in the distance, and as the two professors looked up, they saw a headlight in the sky, emanating from an enormous motorcycle.

If the motorcycle was large, it was nothing compared to the man sitting upon it. He was twice as tall as a regular man and five times as broad at the shoulder. He had a mass of shaggy black hair and an extremely large beard, almost completely hiding his face, but his beetle black eyes shone in the moonlight.

"Professor Dumbledore sir, professor McGonagall" he greeted.

"Good evening Hagrid, no problems I trust?" Dumbledore asked.

"No sir. Little tykes fell asleep as we were flyin' over Bristol." Said Hagrid, as he handed over two bundles of blankets, carrying a pair of recently orphaned young wizards.

"Thank you Hagrid, and may I inquire as to where you got that motorcycle from?"

"Young Sirius Black lent it to me! I was a little surprised, he said he didn't need it any more, he loves this motorcycle. Anyways, here they are, all safe and sound."

Hagrid handed over the two infants to Dumbledore, who carefully placed them on the doorstep of number 4 Privet Drive, along with a letter, explaining the tragic events that had just occurred and what the residents were to do with the babies.

A large, rough sounding sob emanated from Hagrid, while McGonagall tried to put a comforting arm around his hulking shoulders.

"There, there, Hagrid, we will see them again, but for now we must go back to the castle and all will be explained when they turn eleven."

The trio left a letter filled with explanations at the doorstep of number four Privet Drive, and the last words the two infants received from any of them were:

"Good luck."

Nearly ten years on, Harry Potter, resident of the cupboard under the stairs awoke to ape like cousin screaming:

"Wake up, Potter! It's my birthday and we're going to the zoo! Go get breakfast you stupid moron!"

Harry began to grumble to himself until he heard loud thumping noises on the stairs, and sure enough, when he walked out, he saw his much larger twin brother standing over a newly bruised and groaning Dudley. Harry and John's more neglected cousin was tentatively walking down the stairs, until she took in the sight of her brutal brother groaning on the stairs and her protective cousin smiling up at her.

"Happy birthday Delilah" Harry and John said, in unison.

"Thanks you two", replied Delilah, more happily than her awakening had lead on.

A loud groan from Dudley attracted the attention of his father, Vernon Dursley, a beefy, big bellied man, with thick, neatly parted dark hair, and an extremely bushy moustache. He greatly resembled his son, apart from Dudley having blonde hair, like his mother.

Delilah looked like neither her mother nor her father, she had blonde hair like her mother, however, her face resembled her grandmothers (and therefore, her aunt Lily, both of whom she unfortunately never met). No one had ever told her, but she was rather pretty, but constantly put down by her neglectful family. This had happened since she was nine, and she knew exactly when, but not why.

A roundabout Dudley was sat on decided to suddenly speed up to a tremendous pace, so much so that Dudley was in fact, thrown off and ended up throwing up violently. For unexplained reasons she was blamed for it, along with many other inexplicable occurrences that happened within Number 4 Privet drive – the ones which Harry and John weren't around for.

She was unlike anyone else in the Dursley family, shy, pretty, kind and very intelligent. She acted much more like her aunt, Lily Potter than her mother. She did not like to admit it, but she also had a remarkably short temper and often vented her frustrations on Harry and John, which usually resulted in her sobbing her apologies to Harry and John, who didn't mind one bit.

She was extremely grateful to have cousins like them and felt terrible about the way she treated them before the roundabout incident – she believed her family about the way Harry and John were, until then, when they finally bonded.

Harry was short and skinny, with messy jet black hair, picked up from his father and startlingly green eyes from his mother. His face was an identical copy of his fathers, and had round glasses perched upon his nose. His personality was a mix of both of his parents, the kindness of both of them, a slight mischevious streak from his father, intelligence from both of them, bravery from them both and sometimes reckless behaviour from his father.

John, on the other hand, was very much like Harry, however, much bigger, stronger and heavily built, as he started toughening up to stand up to his bullying cousin, resulting in the groaning boy upon the floor. He got around the lack of food problem by frequently stealing meat from the fridge when no one was looking, and uncle Vernon thought it was just Dudley with a 'healthy appetite', even though John was now eating just as much as Dudley himself.

He often offered his food to Harry and Delilah, who always insisted that they weren't hungry, no matter how persistent John was at trying to get them to eat.

He, however, unlike his brother and cousin was rather arrogant, extremely lazy, but with a good heart and a very protective nature. He was by far the most mischievous boy that any of these people had ever known. He was almost identical to his father, apart from not having glasses and green eyes rather than hazel.

Something peculiar about Harry never failed to be noticed by their friends. He had a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead, explained rather eloquently by uncle Vernon as "A souvenir from the car crash caused by your moronic drunken parents."

Uncle Vernon began to pace menacingly towards John, who gulped, knowing that he was in trouble for sure.

"You" he began, pointing a fat finger at John's mock-innocent face.

"What do you think you're doing?" screamed Uncle Vernon, now livid because "that ruddy idiot" had mutilated his "angelic son".

"Playing a game. First to fall down the stairs wins. He thrashed me at it, he always does, but I'm not complaining."

This resulted in John having a time out in his "room", which other people prefer to call "an ancient garden shed".

Then, turning to Harry and Delilah, he barked "You! Make our breakfasts, while you clean the car, NOW!"

Harry and Delilah did just that, while John snacked on some more of the stolen food from the fridge.

After washing the car, Delilah was exhausted nearly to the point of collapse, so Harry and John carried her into it, and soon they had left, on their way to the zoo.

Dudley felt like playing a very simplistic (and often painful) game with Harry and Delilah in the back – kicking them whenever he saw something that amused him while on the road.

He didn't try anything with John, in fact he hadn't done so in over a year, when John started standing up to him. Dudley may have been heavier, but John was stronger and faster by far. It still didn't stop Dudley from bullying Harry and Delilah when near Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, who would always stop John's attempts at intervening.

As they finally arrived at the zoo to wonder at natures many miracles, Harry, John and Delilah had broad smiles on their faces, which was a rare sight by this time. They came across a very large male gorilla, who took to staring at the three of them, as they stared right back.

"He looks like Dudley." Said Delilah, giggling.

"Hey! Don't insult the gorilla!" John replied, smirking, causing Harry and Delilah to laugh.

Later on, in the sauna-like reptile house, Dudley, Uncle Vernon, Harry and John had come across a particularly large Burmese python while Delilah was looking in fascination at some iguanas. Aunt Petunia was merely feigning interest in the whole place. The python was at least thirteen feet long, they were certainly glad about the glass separating them from the large serpent.

Dudley, however was more interested in mindless entertainment.

"Make him move." He demanded.

"Move!" Uncle Vernon half-heartedly said.

"MOVE!" bellowed Dudley.

"He's asleep!" Harry pointed out.

"He's boring." Dudley said, looking at the snake with pointed distaste.

"And you're just lovely aren't you Duddikins? Now move it, or do you need mummy's help to do that as well?" John snarled.

Dudley knew better to pick a fight with John after that morning, so he simply walked away, scowling.

"Don't worry about him. He doesn't know what it's like, feeling caged into a tiny space like you or me, watching people press their ugly faces-"

"Extremely ugly in Dudley's case" interrupted John.

"Yes, well the point is… hang on! Can you understand us?" asked Harry, feeling both nervous and excited.

To their astonishment, the snake started to nod.

"Neither of us has ever talked to a snake before, do you do this often?" asked John.

The snake shook his head.

As John opened his mouth again to say something, Dudley ran up and pressed his face onto the class staring at the now very active snake.

John and Harry wished that the snake and Dudley could swap places, but they never expected their wish to come true. The glass vanished and Dudley fell through the space where it had just been, while the snake slithered out of its enclosure and moved into the rest of the zoo. Dudley tried to get out but to his horror, the glass had re appeared.

It took the zookeepers half an hour to get Dudley out and another hour for Uncle Vernon to get him home.

Uncle Vernon, now livid, grabbed Harry and John by their hair and demanded to know what happened

"I swear we don't know, one minute the glass was there and then it was gone, it was like magic" replied a panicking Harry.

"There's no such thing as MAGIC!" replied uncle Vernon, who then forced Harry back into his cupboard.

Harry, John and Delilah (even though she had done nothing) had to contend with half the food they usually do for the rest of the week, so John had to sneak them extra food during the nights, including leftover pork, vegetables, and whatever else he happened to grab from the fridge. It meant that the fridge emptied earlier than usual, but was refilled with yet more food. The Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia didn't know it, but in trying to deny Harry, Delilah and John proper helpings, they were only feeding them even more.

A few days later, when Uncle Vernon barked at Harry to get the mail, Harry found something rather peculiar- a letter addressed to him, with a crest in the corner he had never seen. It said:

_Harry Potter_

_Number 4 Privet Drive_

_Little Whinging_

_Surrey_

_The cupboard under the stairs_

Harry found it extremely odd that someone knew exactly where he lived and when he looked through the other letters, he found similar cases with John's and Delilah's letters.  
>He walked into the kitchen and after he handed Uncle Vernon's letters to him, he began to open his own, when-<p>

"DAD! DAD! Harry's still got some letters!" Dudley had snatched the three letters from out of Harry's hands.

"Give them back, they are mine, Delilah's and John's!" Harry yelled back.

"Who in their right minds would be writing to you three?" Uncle Vernon scoffed before seeing the letters.

Uncle Vernon's eyes looked back and forth from the letters to Harry and John and Delilah, who both had just walked in, now looking terrified.

Over the next few days, no less than fifty of these letters were sent to the three of them, and it gave them hope that someone actually cared about them enough to continue sending these letters, despite there being no reply, seeing as Uncle Vernon tore or burnt each one.

After many letters had been sent, the Dursleys had moved Harry to the shed, but the letters to Harry were now addressed (like John) to "The back garden shed", frustrating Uncle Vernon to no end.

Eventually, Uncle Vernon had put a plank of wood in the way of the letter box in frustration, eliminating the only glimmer of hope Harry, John or Delilah had left.

Until one morning-

"Sunday at last. In my opinion, the best day of the week. Why is that do you think Dudley?"

Dudley shrugged.

"There's no post on Sundays."

"Right you are Harry. No post on Sundays, HA! Not another single blasted ruddy letter! Not a-"

He stopped once he felt a slight tremor. The tremors grew louder until they actually shook the entire house.

When they thought the shaking couldn't get any louder, letters spewed out through the chimney, the windows, the doors, in fact, everywhere, letters simply seemed to magically appear from every opening in the house.

When Harry, John and Delilah realised what these letters were, they immediately felt elated and began trying to catch one. When Harry eventually did, Uncle Vernon immediately grabbed him and Bellowed:

"THAT'S IT, WE'RE GOING AWAY! FAR AWAY! WHERE THEY CAN'T FIND US!"

"Daddy's gone mad hasn't he?" asked a panicking and somewhat terrified Dudley.

The next thing they knew, Uncle Vernon was driving towards the coastline, with a smug look on his face, while Harry, John and Delilah were thinking the same thing:

"He seems to be taking this a bit too seriously..."

They couldn't have been more wrong. Uncle Vernon, they found out the next morning, had booked for them to stay in some dingy 'hotel' out in the middle of the sea, on a tiny island which was barely anything more than a few hundred square feet of rock, with a cabin on it.

After a long boat ride across the sea, the Dursleys, Harry and John were on a small island off the coast of Brighton. It was Uncle Vernon's idea to get as far away as possible from Privet Drive, so that no more unwanted letters would arrive at their home. They all took one look at the cabin they would be staying in for possibly months and cringed, apart from Uncle Vernon.

"Perfect isn't it? No one will send a letter here! Now we can finally relax!" Roared Uncle Vernon happily.

"Relax- in a shack that would probably shatter if a mouse stepped inside?" asked John.

"It's better than it looks, now get in!" replied Uncle Vernon, starting to get angry.

No one wanted to test Uncle Vernon's patience, which was extremely thin since the letters started arriving at Privet Drive, so they quickly scurried indoors.

"Hey John, it's nearly our birthday. In the next 30 seconds we'll be eleven years old!" Harry pointed out.

"Not much of a happy birthday in this place, but hey, it could be way worse!" said John, smiling at Harry.

"Yeah, at least we're not in some poverty stricken country where water is worth as much as gold. I guess we've always got to remember that we're luckier than most. Hey, look at the clock!" Said Harry.

"In 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy Birthday." They said to each other.

Suddenly, as the silence in the house began it was quickly interrupted. The door took a big impact that was so forceful, that it knocked the door down at a massive force. An incredibly large figure stood at the doorway. Everyone had woken up because of him. Uncle Vernon quickly reached for his gun, which he pointed at the enormous figure.

"Sorry 'bout that." Said the gigantic man. He had an extremely shaggy black beard and long, wild hair, with his face barely showing underneath. He had warm, kindly looking black eyes, feet the size of small dolphins and hands the size of dustbin lids. He was easily twice the height of a grown man and about five times as wide, he must have weighed almost half a tonne.

"I'm w-w-warning y-you… You're breaking and entering!" Uncle Vernon tried to yell at the figure, but his stuttering gave away his fear.

The gun didn't seem to bother the man, who simply walked towards Uncle Vernon menacingly.

"Shut up Dursley yeh absolute prune!" He growled, before seizing the gun and tying a knot out of the extended barrel, as if it were made out of shoelaces.

"Blimey, Harry, John, I haven't seen you two since yeh were babies, yeh've grown a lot! Yeh both look just like yer dad, but yeh have yer mum's eyes!" the man said happily, turning to Harry and John.

"Err, not to sound rude, but who are you exactly?" Inquired Harry.

"Rubeus Hagrid, but yeh can call me Hagrid, everyone calls me that. I'm the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. But of course yeh know all 'bout Hogwarts."

"Sorry, we don't."

"Yeh don't? Don't yeh wonder where yer mum and dad learned it all?"

"Learnt what?"

"Yer wizards, both of yeh, and Delilah, yer a witch"

"Wait, there's got to be a mistake, we can't be wizards, can we?" asked John, now feeling overwhelmed by the possibility.

"Did yeh ever make anything happen, anything unusual when yeh were angry, or scared?"

John, Harry and Delilah's eyes widened with realisation as they figured out that Hagrid was right.

"Take yer letters, which those trolls didn't let yeh have." He said, handing over three more copies of the letters which had been sent repeatedly to the house on Privet drive.

"Dear Mr. Potter" Harry read out. "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry- so it's all true!"

"Well seems like yeh've got some catching up ter do, I'll help yeh with that." Hagrid offered.

"Thank you sir" Said Delilah

"No problem and don't bother calling me sir, Hagrid is fine." Hagrid replied, looking down on Delilah with an apparent fondness.

"Hold on a second, you knew this whole time that we were wizards and said nothing?" asked John, now outraged.

"Of course we knew! How could you not be, with my 'perfect' sister being who she was, and then she met that Potter! When she had you, we knew you would be just as strange, abnormal and undesirable. And then they got themselves blown up, and we got landed with you two!" Said Aunt Petunia, her voice rising with each word.

"Blown up? You said our parents died in a car crash!" roared John, his normally well controlled temper starting to flare.

"A CAR CRASH? A CAR CRASH, KILLING LILY AND JAMES POTTER? THAT'S AN OUTRAGE! A SCANDAL!" yelled Hagrid, making everyone jump.

"We had to say something" replied Aunt Petunia in a small voice.

"Err, can you tell us about Hogwarts?" asked Harry, preferring to avoid seeing things get ugly.

"O'course I can! Oh, almost forgot, take this! Baked it myself!" said Hagrid, cheerfully, as if he hadn't just made the cabin shake using just his voice.

"Thank you!" Said Harry, putting it on the table.

Hagrid began to explain how Hogwarts was a school in an enormous, old castle, which was over a thousand years old, yet had stood strong the whole time. He talked about the beautiful grounds, which he was in charge of, the lake which was a favourite place of his to just relax, skip stones or have a play with his pet dog.

John resisted the sudden desire to ask if a massive man like Hagrid had a dog which was also many times larger than a normal dog.

They were all so preoccupied with talk about Hogwarts, that they failed to notice that Dudley had snuck up and started eating the cake which lay forgotten on the table, until then.

At this point, Hagrid had had enough and from his pink umbrella, sparks flew and a pig's tail emerged from Dudley's enormous backside.

The Dursleys all screamed, except for Delilah, who laughed herself to the floor, along with John and Harry.

After watching the Dursleys panic for quite a while, Hagrid, Delilah, Harry and John all walked towards a rowboat. It was very large, and had some big blankets in it.

"Well, come on. Got ter get you three ter Diagon Alley."

"Where?"

"Oh, right. It's where wizards buy their supplies for Hogwarts. And it has some other great stuff."

"Right." The three said exhaustedly.

"If yeh're sleepy yeh can get inter the blankets. There's a long journey ahead."

As all of them tried to get some sleep Hagrid rowed across the sea. Although it was hard to get to sleep they did so eventually. They awoke to a bright blue sky and Hagrid, who was eating a sandwich. They were now somewhere different from the harsh waters of the sea.

As Hagrid tied his boat to a harbour, John, Delilah and Harry stretched themselves, so they could wake up properly. After getting ashore, Hagrid motioned for them to follow him. They were catching a lot of attention, not only due to the sheer size of Hagrid, but also his excitement at some perfectly normal muggle objects like parking meters and traffic lights.

Hagrid told them to re-open their letters, to see their shopping lists, among the massive list were:

"All students will need:

One standard size 2 pewter cauldron

A telescope

A set of plain black robes

A Pointed hat (black) for day wear

Plain white button down shirts (short and long sleeve acceptable)

Black trousers (for boys)

Black skirts, knee length (for girls)

A wand

Students may, if they wish, bring a cat, rat, owl, or toad however, these pets are the responsibility of the student, and while we will provide veterinary care for when pets become ill and an owlery for owls to spend most of the year, we will not provide day to day care, such as food for cats, toads and rats.

"Can we get all of this in London Hagrid?" asked Harry.

"If yeh know where to look."


	2. Diagon Alley

Hagrid seemed to know where he was going the entire time, so Harry, John and Delilah simply followed him, however, Hagrid wasn't used to muggle methods of transport, so it was a bit of a challenge, especially when he had to get on the London underground, which had trains that weren't as tall as he was and doors not as wide as he was.

But on the journey to wherever Hagrid was taking them, Hagrid explained as much as he could about the many things they would need to know about the wizarding world.

Hagrid took them to a strange, grubby looking inn called 'The Leaky Cauldron', but no one seemed to notice it, in fact, it appeared to the three newcomers that they were the only ones who could actually see it.

They walked in to find a rather crowded bar with many oddly dressed people who were definitely wizards.

"Uncle Vernon would have a heart attack in _this_ bar, their clothes alone would probably make him shit himself." Said John, upon seeing the way the wizards were dressed, getting sniggers as replies from Harry and Delilah.

When Hagrid approached the bar, the toothless, aged barman took notice of him.

"Ah, Hagrid, the usual I presume?" he asked.

"No thanks Tom, I'm here on Hogwarts business. Helping Harry, John and Delilah here buy their school supplies." He replied Happily.

"Bless my soul! Harry Potter? In my inn?" The barkeep asked, steeping back in shock, completely ignoring John and Delilah.

The entire pub went quiet, and all of the heads turned towards Harry, looking at him in awe.

"Welcome back, Harry! Welcome back, my name is Dedalus Diggle you saw me a few weeks ago!" the wizard named Dedalus said, stepping forwards from the crowd.

Harry politely accepted his many hand shakes, but unfortunately for them, there were many more to come, while Delilah and John stood by awkwardly, with a completely bewildered expression.

"Doris Crockford Harry, I can't believe I'm meeting you at last!" said a rather creepy looking witch, dressed completely in black.

"Harry P-P-P-Potter, c-c-c-can't b-believe I'm meeting you at last!" greeted an odd looking man wearing a very large turban.

"Hello Professor, I didn't see yeh there! Harry, John, Delilah, this is professor Quirrel, he'll be yer defence against the dark arts teacher at Hogwarts." Hagrid explained.

"Oh right, good to meet you." Said Harry, John and Delilah nodding in agreement, offering handshakes.

Professor Quirrel kept his hands to himself and didn't accept the handshake, as if Harry's hands in particular were covered in venomous spiders.

"Frightfully f...f...fascinating subject. N...N...Not that you need it, eh?" he asked.

Hagrid cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, we best be off. Lots ter buy!" he said.

"Yer famous Harry, yeh see?" as he walked out through the back entrance, shutting the door behind him.

"But why is that Hagrid? How did all those people know who Harry was?" John asked.

"I'm not sure if I'm the right person ter tell yeh that yeh know." said Hagrid.

Hagrid then counted the bricks around a slightly hollow spot in the middle of a brick wall, tapping them as he went.

What Harry, John and Delilah saw next left them looking on in awe.

An extremely busy, crowded street, full of wizards and brightly coloured shops on the side overlooking the cobbled street.

There was an emporium purely for owls, a broomstick shop, a wand shop, a general equipment shop, even an ice cream parlour (to John's delight) and a book shop where John noticed a particularly excited looking young girl with a lot of bushy brown hair dragging her bemused looking parents into.

Any pictures they saw were literally had moving inhabitants, shocking them even more than they thought possible.

"Hang on Hagrid, how are we going to pay for all the stuff on our shopping list? We haven't got any money." asked Harry, after recovering from the shock of seeing Diagon Alley for the first time.

"Well there's yer money Harry, Gringotts, the wizard bank! Not a single safer place anywhere, 'cept Hogwarts maybe. As fer you Delilah, you will be fine with money from Harry and John's vaults." said Hagrid, pointing at a very tall, stone building at the end of the alley.

"Wait, we have money? How much? Will it be enough for all the Hogwarts stuff?" asked John, now rather eager to see it.

"I reckon it's best left as a surprise if I'm honest with yeh John." replied Hagrid.

They entered the massive doors of Gringotts to find the most bizarre looking bank any of them had ever seen, apart from Hagrid. Small creatures with long, pointy ears, long noses and sharp, scary looking teeth were at desks, seemingly performing difficult looking calculations.

"Err, what exactly are all those things?" asked Harry.

"Goblins Harry. Clever as they come, they aren't the friendliest o' creatures, so its best yeh stay close by ter me." Replied Hagrid, and so John, Delilah and Harry did so.

Hagrid approached the front desk and cleared his throat.

"Misters Harry and John Potter wish to make a withdrawal". Said Hagrid, in a somewhat... more professional voice than he usually applied to his words.

The Goblin took a look from his tall wooden desk and put his quill down.

"And do Misters Harry and John Potter have their key?" he asked, snarling at them.

"Oh, lets see. I had it in here somewhere. Ah, Here it is." Hagrid said with a relieved look on his face after searching through his possibly dozens of pockets.

"Very well. Come this way." Said the goblin.

As they walked on they approached a rather strange looking cart which resembled a mine cart. As everyone got in a goblin started it immediately. The cart moved at an alarming pace, similar to a roller-coaster. It was at a speed so fast it made Delilah immediately cling onto the forearm of Hagrid, who was not feeling much better. He was looking slightly green as if he was about to throw up. As for Harry and John -

"WOOHOO!" They yelled together.

As the cart stopped the goblin who controlled the cart climbed out of the cart and opened the door, before examining the door to a vault.

"Vault 687. Lamp Please." he asked, before Hagrid handed the goblin an old fashioned lamp with a candle inside.

"Key please." Hagrid gave the vault key to the goblin.

The door was opened and to the eleven year olds astonishment there were enormous piles of bronze, silver and gold in front of them.

"Woah!" They said upon seeing the sheeer amount of money there

"Didn't think yer parents would leave yeh with nothing now did yeh?"

Later on after another ride they arrived at another vault.

"Vault 713." Said the goblin.

"Stand back."

The Goblin ran his finger down the middle of the door, which opened up gradually.

"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they would be sucked in and trapped inside" said the goblin with an evil looking smile.

"How often do you check to see if someone is trapped inside?" inquired Harry, curious at this point.

"Oh, about once every ten years." Said the goblin, his intimidating smile now broadening.

"So, basically don't try to rob Gringotts. Ever. That's probably the basic message here." Said John.

When the doors had fully swung open, they saw a grubby little package on the floor, tied up with dirty string."

"Hagrid, whats in there?" Asked Delilah.

"Cant tell yeh that. Its Hogwarts business. Dont tell anyone about this vault or what yeh saw in it. Ok?" Hagrid explained.

The three eleven year olds nodded.

After a while they went into get their robes at Madam Malkins shop.

"Hogwarts?" A woman asked.

"Uh, yeah." Replied Harry.

"Well then, lets get you measured up." She said with a smile.

"You first then."

Harry stepped forward

Madam Malkin began to measure Harry, who was standing next to a pale faced boy with pointed features and sleek blonde hair combed backwards.

"You going to Hogwarts?"

"Yep, we're first years, how about you?"

"Same."

"My father's up the street getting my books and my mother is out looking at wands." He said in a bored, drawling voice.

When the boy said "Mother"and "Father" it made Harry and John wonder about their parents and what it would be like to have them. Then they thought about how they really died. Hagrid said they died a different way to what the Dursleys told them.

"I think I'm going to drag them off and bully them into buying me a racing broom. It's stupid that first years aren't allowed, I'll just smuggle one in, Have any of you got your own brooms?"

"Na, none of us do." Said John.

"I do, I also play Quidditch, father says it's a crime not to play for the house team, which is something I agree with. Know what house you'll be in?" he asked.

"No." Replied Harry, who, like John and Delilah, was beginning to feel more and more stupid.

None of them liked this boy, and were beginning to dislike him more and more.

Madam Malkin came back with a set of robes for Harry, and began to measure John.

"Third year I presume?" she asked him.

"First actually." John replied, smirking at Harry, who stuck his tongue out.

Madam Malkin looked surprised for a moment before nodding and continuing her measurements.

"I say! Look at that man!" the blond haired boy said, pointing outside the window at Hagrid.

"Thats Hagrid." Said Harry.

"That oaf. I've heard about him. Isn't he like a slave or something? I don't really like him." the boy said in a superior sort of tone.

"I think he's a great guy." Replied Harry.

After they got their books and other supplies, Harry, John and Delilah still needed to get their wands.

"Hagrid, we still need to get our wands." Said Harry.

"Well there yeh are. Theirs where yeh need to go. Olvanders." Said Hagrid with a tone of delight.

As the three walked into the shop a man appeared on a ladder. He had withering eyes and silvery grey hair. He looked very old. He then spoke and said:

"Ah, I was wondering when I would see you two. And you must be Miss Delilah Dursley. Hagrid told me about you. Lets deal with you first." After searching for a suitable wand, he gave one to Delilah.

Ah, here we are. Take this Miss Dursley. Now give it a wave." After Delilah did so, a slight breeze filled the air, and Delilah's fingers warmed up. "It is perfect. Seven galleons please." Said Olivander.

"Thank you. See you outside guys." Said Delilah as she exited the shop after paying Olivander.

"Now, let us deal with you two. It seemed only yesterday that your mother and father were buying their first wands. Try these."

Harry and John stood there awkwardly, holding the wands.

As they waved their wands many other wands in boxes fell over at a great pace.

"No, no. Apparently not. How about you John?"

John gave it a wave and almost immediately a glass shattered into pieces.

"What was in there?" asked John, trying desperately to hide sniggers.

"Dont worry. It was only water." He said in an amused voice.

Olivander took out two wands, looking at them with apparent interest.

"Hmm, I wonder."

As Harry and John got these wands as soon as they touched them a racing feeling came through their body. Their hair flew up and became messier than usual.

"Curious."

"What's Curious sir." Asked John.

"I remember every wand I have ever sold . It is curious for you to have these wands because the phoenix that gave those feathers in those wands gave only one other feather. Just one."

"And who owned that wand." Asked Harry.

"We dare not speak his name. It is clear you two will do great things. The man who gave you that scar did terrible things. Terrible, but great." He spoke in a lowering voice.

"John, your wand is fifteen inches, made of Mahogany, with a phoenix tail feather inside, Harry, yours is Holly, eleven inches, with another phoenix tail feather inside. Seven galleons each please." said Olivander in a suddenly business like tone.

They handed over the money and took their wands, enjoying the feeling of owning such interesting objects.

"Harry, John! Happy birthday!"

Harry and John looked outside to see Delilah holding a brown cat with smooth, silky hair and Hagrid holding a majestic great grey owl and a beautiful snowy white owl.

"Shotgun the snowy one!" Harry said.

"Everyone's a winner then! Thanks Hagrid!" said John.

Later on in the Leaky Cauldron Harry had a question to ask Hagrid.

"He killed our parents Hagrid, the one gave me this. Didn't he?" Harry asked.

"About that. Now Listen. Not all wizards are good. Some of them go bad. Not too long ago, one of them went about as bad as yeh could go. His name was V-. His name was V-."

"Why don't you spell it?" asked Harry.

"No I cant spell it. Alright. Voldemort." Hagrid whispered.

"Voldemort?" John said.

"Shh, shh. Ok now listen. There were dark times back then, very dark. Voldemort was starting ter gather up followers, he was gaining power fer eleven years. Anyone who resisted was killed. Your parents fought bravely but they were both killed by him. No one could live when he turned his wand on them. Until, Voldemort pointed his wand at you Harry. Fer some reason, the curse that gave you that scar rebounded and that was his downfall." Hagrid said getting calmer."

"Me? Voldemort tried to kill me..." Harry whispered.

"Yeah. But something happened that night. Something that kept you alive. That is why everyone knows your name you are the the boy who lived. And as fer John, everyone knows he was there two, and we don't know if John coulda stopped him like Harry, but it doesn't matter. You survived an attack from him, and that is somethin' worth rememberin' for the rest of the world." Hagrid explained.

"And what happened to him exactly, what happened to Voldemort?"Asked John.

"Some say he is dead. Codswallop in my opinion. But I think he is still out there. To tired to go on."


	3. The Hogwarts Express

After they had completed their school shopping, Hagrid took them (to their horror) back to the Dursleys.

Life seemed as it was about a month ago, except that they were counting down the days until September the 1st.

The days crawled by like weeks, which in turn crawled by like months, until finally, the long-awaited day arrived.

Uncle Vernon took the three of them to King's cross train station. They looked once again at their tickets.

"Where in the living hell is platform nine-and-three-quarters?" asked John, confused.

"As if I know." Replied Uncle Vernon. "Have fun looking for it." He added, with an evil looking smile.

With that he, Dudley and Aunt Petunia simply walked away. Harry, John and Delilah didn't feel like following them, more due to early adolescent rebelliousness than the fact that they knew platform nine-and-three-quarters actually existed. They honestly didn't.

"Fantastic, we're on our own." Said John.

"We should probably search. Really carefully, maybe only wizards can see it like the leaky cauldron." Replied Delilah.

"It couldn't really hurt to ask that conductor though, could it?" added Harry.

"Great idea. Maybe we'll get into _another_ special institution. One with the common name of 'the loony bin'." John quipped.

"Not to mention we have these huge trunks and you two have domesticated owls." said Delilah.

"Well he'll know more about the station than we do." Harry pointed out, walking towards the conductor.

"Excuse me! Can you tell me where I could find Platform nine-and-three-quarters?"

"Nine- and three quarters? Think you're being funny do you?" said the conductor.  
>"Hmph, nine and three quarters" he whispered to himself, walking off.<p>

Harry thought that they might miss the train at this rate, until he heard a plump, ginger woman say

"Same as every year, packed with muggles!"

"Hey, she must be a witch, she will probably know how to get there." Said Harry, and they all followed to the direction she was going.

The witch was accompanying a small girl, a tall, freckled boy, two identical stocky ginger twins and a very lanky ginger boy who looked to be oldest, with a somewhat aloof look on his face.

"Come on Percy, you first."

The oldest red haired boy walked forward and ran towards the barrier between platform nine and ten but to Harry, John and Delilah's amazement, he vanished as he was about to hit it. It almost looked like the pillar had absorbed him.

"Go on Fred, you next."

"He's not Fred, I am!" replied one of the twins

"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother?" said the other.

"Sorry George."

"Only joking, I am Fred!" and with that, Fred (or George) ran through the barrier like his older brother, followed by George (or Fred).

"Excuse me. Could you tell us how to get onto the platform?" John asked.

"Of course, not to worry, it's Ron's first time as well" said the woman, motioning towards the tall ginger boy, who looked about their age.

"All you have to do is walk straight at that wall between platform nine and ten. Give it a run if you're nervous."

"Good luck." said the small girl. "Mum, can't I go?"

"You're too young Ginny, you'll have to wait another year. Go on, don't worry about it." said the woman.

Harry looked straight at the wall, which unfortunately looked completely solid. He began to walk straight into it, gradually speeding up as he went. Soon enough he was running. He shut his eyes in preparation for the crash. It didn't come and he kept on running.

"Move please Harry.", said a voice behind Harry which turned out to be John's, Delilah in tow.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. They had done it."

"A steam train? Wow... d'you think wizards don't use any sort of electricity?" John asked.

"Well with magic there wouldn't be any need for it. Still though, electricity allows muggles to do stuff that wizards can't." Delilah explained.

The three of them walked around the train until they found an empty compartment. They helped each other put their trunks into the overhead compartment, when they heard a familiar voice, this one belonging to one of the twins they saw earlier.

"First years?" asked George

"Yeah, you?" replied John.

"Third." said Fred

"So what are your names?" George asked.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter-" Harry started.

"Holy shit! Really?" asked Fred.

"Err... yeah?" Harry replied uncomfortably.

"Sorry, I just didn't expect to meet someone like you in such a normal situation." Fred explained.

"Anyway, what are your names?" George asked, turning to John and Delilah.

"I'm John, Harry's brother." said John.

"Wow, I didn't know Harry Potter had a brother! I guess none of the newspapers really wanted to say anything about you." said Fred.

"We keep interrupting! What's your name?" George asked Delilah.

"I'm Delilah Dursley. I'm their cousin." she said.

"A cousin too! Blimey, those papers really didn't care much for the Potter family tree, did they?" Fred commented.

"Ah, we'd better go, we can't miss mum embarrassing ickle Ronniekins on his first year now, can we?" said George.

"We will be seeing you at Hogwarts then and when you're there, please piss professor Snape off as much possible." Fred advised.

"Who?" inquired John.

"You'll know when you meet him. Or should I say it? We are working on a theory that he is in fact, a bat." George said, snickering.

Sure enough, they saw the red-haired woman rubbing dirt off the nose of the boy called Ron, while the twins simply watched and laughed.

"Good luck Ron, have fun." And with that, she turned on the twins.

"Behave yourselves, won't you? I don't want a letter home on the first day saying you've blown up a toilet or something."

"We haven't tried that yet-thanks mum!" replied Fred.

"And we will be sure to take care of ickle Ronniekins and his new blown up toilet!" George added.

"When will you learn?" replied their mother.

"One last thing- guess who we just met on the train!" said Fred

"Actually Fred, lets just tell them." said George.

"Alright. You know those three kids asking us about how to get onto the platform?" Fred started.

"The one with the glasses was Harry Potter! And the other two were his brother and cousin! The Quibbler was actually right about Harry Potter having a brother! His name's John, and their cousin's name is Delilah." George explained excitedly.

"Oh wow! Harry Potter! Mum, can I go and see him? Please?" Ginny begged.

"No Ginny, he's not an animal in a zoo to be gawked at, he's probably had enough attention as it is. And I'm sure that his brother and cousin have had enough of being ignored by people obsessing over Harry! They were ever so polite asking me how to get onto the platform. And DON'T ask them about you-know-who, they don't need reminding of something as horrible as that. Just go about your business as you'd normally do." Mrs. Weasley sternly told her children.

"We'll send Ron back, tied up in a sack drenched in blown up toilet water when we're done, no worries!" said George.

With that the red haired boys dispersed.

Harry, John and Delilah settled into their compartment. A few moments later, the door slid open and the youngest red-haired boy, Ron walked in.

"Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full." he asked.

"Go ahead."

"Are you really Harry Potter?" he blurted out. Harry nodded.

"Blimey. So you're his brother and cousin? Fred said your names are John and Delilah?" said Ron.

"Yeah, that's us." said Delilah.

"I'm Ron. Ron Weasley, and it's nice to meet you. My older brothers back there are called Fred and George, and the other one you saw going through the platform barrier is Percy. My little sister is Ginny." said Ron.

"Nice to meet you...and your absent brothers and sister." said John.

"Would have been better if they introduced themselves I suppose. Anyway, do you really have the-" Ron started.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Scar." Ron said, his ears turning mildly pink.

"Oh, yeah, here." Said Harry, pulling back his hair to show the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

"Wicked! Why don't you have that scar John?" Ron asked.

"Voldemort didn't actually cast a curse on me. He was probably about to, but his curse rebounded off Harry first." John explained.

"Don't say his name! By the way, I heard you two went to live with muggles. What are they like?" asked Ron.

"Horrible pieces of crap. Well, only my aunt, uncle and muggle cousin are, Delilah, not so much." said John.

"Are you muggle-born?" Ron asked.

"Er, I suppose, does that mean I have muggle parents but I'm a witch?" asked Delilah.

"Yeah, this all must be confusing for you, but you'll settle in eventually. I guess the same actually goes for all three of you since you've been raised by muggles." Ron assured them.

"Thanks". said Delilah.

"I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." said Ron.

He pulled out of his pocket, a fat grey rat.

"This is Percy's old rat, Scabbers. He's useless and hardly ever wakes up. When Percy became a prefect, dad got him an owl and I got Scabbers." He finished with a sigh.

The four of them talked for hours, Ron teaching them about the wizarding world, while Harry, John and Delilah told him a little about the muggle world. Somewhere along the way they had bought some wizarding sweets called Bertie Bott's every flavour beans, chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties, among other wacky ideas.

An hour or so later, Ron was about to try a spell to turn Scabbers yellow when a girl walked up to the door. She had bushy brown hair, slightly larger than normal front teeth and a small amount of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Someone called Neville lost one." She asked. She had a bossy sort of voice.

"Nope, maybe someone else has." said Ron.

"Are you doing magic? Let's see then." she said

Ron pointed his wand at Scabbers, and began his 'incantation'.

"Sunshine daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" They waited a few seconds and nothing happened, in fact Scabbers simply shifted, stirred and went back to sleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, as well as shocked, seeing as it is the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard - I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough - I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She said all of this within ten seconds, leaving three gaping boys and one confused looking girl. They all looked at each other, relieved at the shocked faces that the others had, which showed that none of them had learned the books off by heart at all.

"I'm Ron Weasley." muttered Ron.

"Delilah Dursley." said Delilah.

"I'm Harry Potter." said Harry.

John was opening his mouth to introduce himself when The bushy haired girl began to speak again (to their horror)

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"Err, I didn't know that." replied Harry.

"Goodness, you didn't know. I'd have found out everything I could if it was me. Oh, sorry I didn't give you a chance to introduce yourself, you are-?" Hermione asked.

"Very handsome?" John quipped.

Ron and Harry started laughing, trying to hide their laughs with coughs (quite badly), while Delilah let out a few chuckles while shaking her head fondly.  
>Hermione raised her eyebrows, frowning, showing that she wasn't amused. When the laughter had died down, John noticed Hermione wasn't amused in the least.<p>

"Sorry, I'm John Potter." said John.

"Oh, I honestly didn't know that Harry had a brother, but you do look like him. You'd all better change into your robes, I expect we'll be arriving soon." she said, and with that, she left.

"Here's to hoping that we're not in her house" said Ron.

"Agreed" said Harry and John.

"She isn't that bad" said Delilah.

"She learnt the books off by heart Delilah, does that strike you as well-balanced?" John asked sarcastically.

"Aww, are you just annoyed that your future wife doesn't like you?" Harry teased.

John playfully hit Harry's arm in response.

"What's your Quidditch team?" asked Ron.

"Er-we don't know any."

"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money.

He began taking them through the finer points of the game, when the door slid open again, but this time it wasn't Hermione Granger, in fact Harry and John inwardly cringed when they saw the pale blond boy from Madam Malkins', this time flanked by two stupid looking, thickly built boys who were almost the same size as John.

"So is it true? People are saying Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you?" asked the blond boy.

"Yeah" said Harry, warily.

"Then who are you?" he asked John and Delilah.

"I'm their cousin Delilah Dursley." said Delilah.

"I'm Harry's brother John.

"Brother? I guess the prophet didn't care. This is Crabbe and Goyle. I'm Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a cough which sounded suspiciously like a snigger.

"Think my name's funny do you? No need to ask for yours. My father told me that Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford. You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others. You don't want to make friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." With that, he held out his hand but no'one took it.

"We can tell the wrong sort for ourselves." said Harry coolly

"Thanks to you three" John added.

"You'd better watch yourselves. Unless you were a bit politer, you two will go the same way as your parents. You hang around riffraffs like the Weasleys and Hagrid and it'll rub off on you." Malfoy snarled.

Harry, John and Ron stood up, while Delilah backed off from what was sure to be a fight. Harry and Ron were feeling braver than they should, as Crabbe and Goyle were bigger than either of them, and outnumbered John.

"Say that again." Ron said, his face rivalling the colour of his hair.

"Oh, you're going to fight us are you?" sneered Malfoy.

"Unless you get out now" said Harry.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a pained grunt.

John slammed his fist straight into Goyle's stomach before anyone could react.

"Get out before I make you." said John, forcefully, making the

At that point, Goyle let out a painful sounding scream. When Ron looked closer, hesaw Scabbers hanging off Goyle's finger, his sharp little teeth embedded into his meaty hand.

Goyle swung around, trying to get him off his finger, and eventually the momentum threw Scabbers into the window, and with that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle vanished, hoping not to get punched by John or bitten by Scabbers.

"John, punching him was a bad idea." said Delilah.

"No it wasn't, I could take Goyle." replied John.

"Not with Crabbe right beside him" said Delilah.

"I disagree." said John.

"Maybe, but Scabbers saved the day" added Harry.

"I think he's been knocked out - wait - I don't believe it! he's gone back to sleep!"

And so he had.

"Just try not to get into any fights John, I don't want you injuring people, it's too early to get yourself into such trouble." said Delilah.

"Suppose you're right." said John, defeated.

After everything had calmed down, they resumed talking about each other's respective lives before Hogwarts.

When the journey ended a voice echoed throughout the train saying:

"We have arrived at Hogsmeade station. Please walk in an orderly fashion onto the platform and do not forget any lugguage."

"Don't worry driver, I won't forget Harry _or_ my trunk." said John.

Harry stuck his tongue at John, while Ron and Delilah laughed.

"Firs' Years!" boomed a familiar voice, and sure enough, they looked up and saw the massive hairy face of Hagrid.

"Firs' Years this way! Don' be shy!"

The crowd of first years nervously shuffled towards Hagrid, who lead them towards a massive black lake, under a remarkable starry night.

They all floated down the lake until they rounded a corner and found the sight they had all been waiting for.

A magnificent, majestic and massive castle with innumerable turrets and towers stood impressively above the beautiful, glass-like lake and the many acres of grassy fields nearby.

"Ok... we're going to school here?" Harry asked, completely dumbstruck.


	4. Hogwarts at Last

The brilliant view of the magnificent castle from the lake was something that the new students could not help but obsess over.

Looking around, John noticed that absolutely everyone was as transfixed as those on his boat were.

Before long, they had reached the shore and the nervous first years shuffled their way towards Hagrid.

"All righ' firs' years, follow me inter the castle!" bellowed Hagrid.

They entered the castle through a massive door, staring around in awe at the magnificent interior of the castle. Most of the new students could hear Hermione chattering non- stop about the historical background of many a painting that they came across, from a book called "Hogwarts: A History."

It was visibly getting on most of the other students' nerves - none of them found any of what she was saying particularly interesting.

"No one cares." John said bluntly.

Hermione looked hurt for a moment but realised that John was right - no one was actually listening to her.

Hagrid took them up one final flight of stairs and stopped near a stern looking witch wearing green robes with dark hair pulled back into a very tight bun.

"The firs' years Professor Mcgonagall." he said.

"Thanks you Hagrid. I will take them from here." replied McGonagall.

She pulled the door wide open. The entrance hall was so vast that the Dursley's entire house would have fit inside it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Hundreds of voices could be heard nearby— the rest of the school was already there, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts."

Ron nervously took a look at Harry, John and Delilah, who all visibly shifted when McGonagall mentioned the word 'family.

"You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." she added.

Ron and John noticed that she said the name 'Slytherin' with a hint of contempt.

"Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points."

Harry noticed John's face fall slightly at this and smirked to himself, knowing full well that the threat of losing house points wasn't going to be significant leverage to keep John in check.

" At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school I shall return when I am ready for you. Please wait here." she finished.

"How do they sort us into houses?" Asked Harry.

"Some sort of test I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I'm pretty sure he was joking." said Ron.

The notion of doing a test in front of the whole school made Harry's stomach flip. He didn't know any magic yet. Looking around, he saw most people looking as frightened as he was.

Everyone was talking about what the test could possibly be, and the fact that he noticed Hermione Granger whispering all the spells she knew to herself wasn't helping. He turned to look at John, who looked unfazed.

"How can you not be nervous?" asked Harry.

"They can't really test us on magic before we've even started our education. They'll probably get us to answer a couple of questions about ourselves or something." said John.

Delilah then joined in the conversation.

"They aren't going to have time to test the personality of about eighty new students John. I seriously think this is a magic test." she said.

"Are they going to have the time to test the magic of eighty new students?" John countered.

"Good point... but I'm still really nervous about this." said Delilah.

"Relax, there's nothing to worry about. There almost never is if you really think about it." said John.

"I wish I could relax at a time like this." Said Ron.

"Don't worry about it, seriously, they're not going to hurt you. Besides, you're already in the school, they're not going to kick you out or anything." said John.

Then something happened that made them jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed.

"What the —?"

About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing.

What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."

Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, with John and Delilah behind him and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

The Hall was unlike anything any of them had ever seen before. Hundreds of candles floated at least forty feet in the air, lighting up the hall, while above, it seemed as if the great hall itself had no roof- but how was that possible?

Harry got his answer when he heard Hermione telling them all that the ceiling was simply bewitched, to appear the same as the sky outside.

When they had all stopped walking towards the front of the Hall, McGonagall stopped them and everyone noticed that she was holding an extremely shabby, old looking hat. Everyone seemed to be staring at it, but just then, as if on cue, the hat started to sing:

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

After the song had finished, the entire hall burst straight into applause, and after bowing to each of the four house tables, the hat became still once more.

"A hat that sings... something tells me that being at Hogwarts is going to be really weird." John said above the applause.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment, and the hall fell into silence.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause —

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. Perhaps it was Harry's imagination, after all he'd heard about Slytherin, but he thought they looked like an unpleasant lot.

Finally, McGonagall called out " Dursley, Delilah!"

Harry and John, who were convinced that she would be in Ravenclaw were surprised when the hat yelled

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry and John cheered more loudly than anyone else in the hall. When the applause died down, "Finngan, Seamus" became another Gryffindor.

Names continued to be called out, while Harry noticed John whispering to himself,

"Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor".

Eventually, Hermione Granger was called out, and after a fairly long pause, the hat called out:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron beside him let out a loud groan, while John had modified his whispering to:

"Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw."

Harry laughed to himself for a moment, although based on what he'd seen of Hermione so far, he had to agree with them. Soon enough though, Harry felt fear flood through him again, what if he wasn't chosen for a house and was sent home?

When Malfoy was called out, the hat barely touched his head before it bellowed

"SLYTHERIN!"

And finally, the moment Harry dreaded and looked forward to.

"Potter, Harry."

At the mention of his name, Harry saw heads all around the hall craning to get a look at him, coupled with hundreds of collective whispers.

The hat was placed on his head, covering his eyes, and the last thing he saw was a hall filled with people staring at him.

A small voice began talking to him, but inside his head?

"Difficult, very difficult. You have plenty of courage I can see, a substantial amount of intelligence, and there is definitely talent here, no doubt about that. But where to put you?"

Harry thought with all his might, "Not Slytherin, please, anything but Slytherin."

The voice began talking in his head again.

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? Your greatness would be nurtured by Slythein and you would do well there. No? Better be..."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

A feeling of inexplicable elation overwhelmed Harry as he leap up and ran to the Gryffindor table, sitting next to Ron's older brother Percy.

He could hear the twins, Fred and George yelling

"We've got Potter, We've got Potter!", over the tumultuous applause within the hall.

"Potter, John."

Harry stomach did another flip as he saw John walk up to the stool. John was reckless and had no issues with bravery, but he could just as easily be placed somewhere else - he wasn't stupid, and so Ravenclaw may be his destination.

He also noticed that the hall began whispering again, though this time he could hear what they were whispering about. The main thing was "Harry Potter has a brother?"

John walked up to the stool, and as the hat was placed on his head, the sorting hat, as normal, began to speak to him.

"You're an interesting one."

John thought to himself, 'are you inside my head?'

The voice of the hat replied, saying,

"Of course, How else would I understand people enough to sort them? As for you, you truly are your father's son. I remember sorting him, and you will go the same way."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

John's trademark smirk appeared on his face, as he casually jogged towards Harry and Delilah amidst the applause.

Names were called out for a few minutes, until Ron was called out.

He walked up to the stool, looking slightly green, and Harry, along with John and Delilah crossed their fingers and prayed for Ron to join them. He was the only wizard their age they'd properly met and enjoyed the company of (so far). The hat touched his head, but that mere touch was enough for the hat to figure out where he belonged.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry, John and Delilah clapped vigorously, as Ron ran towards them and had a seat.

Percy clapped him on the back, congratulating him, while "Zabini, Blaise" was sorted into Slytherin.

Harry and John looked down at their empty plates, realising how hungry they were. Harry smirked at John's expression- ever since John began standing up to Dudley, his appetite grew to rival that of Dudley himself.

Albus Dumbledore got to his feet, as everyone looked to him for a speech.

"I have only a few words for you all. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" he said.

As he sat back down, a massive round of applause filled the hall, while some students were apparently unsure of whether to laugh or not.

"Uhh..." was all that John could articulate upon hearing Dumbledore's "speech".

"Is he a bit mad?" Harry asked Percy, uncertainly.

"Mad? He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But yes, he is slightly mad. Potatoes Harry?" he asked.

Confused, Harry looked down and his mouth fell open at the sight of the wonderful food suddenly surrounding him.

He looked to his left, only to see John and Ron shovelling food down at an alarming rate, with Delilah adopting a disgusted face. He could see Hermione Granger across the table telling John and Ron off for their ridiculous eating habits, but they clearly weren't listening. Harry simply decided to tuck in.

The food was beyond delicious and Harry couldn't blame Ron or John for the rate at which they ate their food. Harry himself ate more than ever and faster than ever.

"That does look good." Said a ghost.

"Can't you-" Harry started.

"I haven't eaten in nearly five hundred years." the ghost replied.

"I know you! My brothers told me – you're nearly headless Nick!" said Ron.

"I prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind." he said in a haughty manner.

Seamus Finnigan interrupted the conversation.

"Nearly headless? How could you be Nearly headless?" he asked.

"Like this." At that, he pulled his head and most of it actually came off, apart from a slight bit of muscle and skin keeping it attached, like a hinge.

Most people were disgusted, but John, Seamus and Ron stared with fascination.

"Cool!" John said, while others simply looked away from the grotesque display.

After about half an hour of non stop eating (Harry was shocked at the amount Ron and John could _still_ eat), Harry turned his attention to Professor Quirrel and his absurd turban, who was talking to a frightening looking man.

He was thin, fairly tall, had shoulder length greasy black hair and a long hooked nose. He looked particularly strict as well.

John had not failed to notice him either.

"Hey, what do you think batman over there teaches?" he asked, causing Harry and Ron to laugh.

It was Percy who answered.

"That's Professor Snape. Don't make fun of him in any way, or even get on his wrong side - he can turn particularly nasty when he gets angry. He teaches potions, but he really wants to teach Defence against the dark arts. He knows an awful lot about it, and he's been after Quirrel's job for years." said Percy.

Another half hour of eating saw even Ron and John full, although they managed to eat similar amounts to some of the sixth and seventh years. When everyone had finally been sated, Dumbledore stood up once more.

"I have a few more words for you before we all go into our common rooms. I would like to remind everyone to stay away from the Forbidden Forest, and new for this year, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is also out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." he said.

Harry and John laughed, but it seemed that only the first years did so.

"He's serious?" asked Harry.

"He probably is - he's all for exploring this castle since it's so huge and no-one knows all of its places and secrets, and so he always gives a great reason to block areas off in any way." Percy explained.

Harry shuddered to himself, as Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly, after having a yellow ribbon-like piece of paper flow out with lyrics to the song on it.

"And now, we shall sing the school song. Everyone please pick their favourite tune. And off we go!"

At that, the school bellowed:

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

Everyone finished the song at different times, and at last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march.

Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand.

"Ah, music. Magic more impressive than something any of us here can perform. Now, up to bed everyone. Goodnight!" said Dumbledore.

The hall bustled with noise, as people got up and started to walk away.

"First year Gryffindors follow me!" shouted Percy, so that everyone could hear him.

They followed him up a huge amount of stairs, towards a portrait of a portly lady who reminded Harry of the stereotypical female opera singer.

"Password?" the portrait asked Percy.

"Caput Draconis." Percy replied.

With that, the portrait swung open, and everyone climbed through the hole.

They entered the Gryffindor common room, which was a large round room with comfortable looking armchairs, a fireplace and some tables and chairs. The entire room was decorated, with red being the dominant colour, complemented by some gold.

Percy directed the girls up a staircase to the left and the boys to the right, which was where their dormitories would be.

After walking up the stairs, everyone silently went to their trunks and beds, without talking to each other. John was the first to speak.

"Ok guys, we aren't talking at all. If we're sharing a room for seven years we might as well get to know each other. I'm John Potter." he said.

"And I'm his brother Harry." said Harry.

"Wow, Harry Potter! I'm Seamus Finnigan, I'm half and half. Dad's a muggle, and mum's a witch. She told him right after he proposed. Nasty shock when he found out, but they're OK with it." Seamus explained.

"Dean Thomas. I'm a muggle born. I had no idea about this until one day, McGonagall showed up at my house and explained to my mum and dad. They were pretty scared at first, but McGonagall gave them a proper demonstration of what magic looked like and they were fine with it." said Dean.

"I'm Neville Longbottom. I live with my gran, and I want to say it's nice to meet you all." Neville said with a nervous sort of excitement.

"Nice to meet you too Neville. I'm Ron Weasley. I've been brought up in a completely wizarding family, and I've got five brothers and a sister." said Ron.

"I've heard of the Weasleys. My mum's always going on about how nice your dad is." said Seamus.

"Yeah, I love my family, but they really get on my nerves a lot." Muttered Ron.

"I know what you mean. Should be great, living here most of the year." said Dean.

The six of them talked for another hour or two before realising that it was getting quite late and they were all getting tired, resulting in them all bidding each other goodnight and drifting off to sleep, having no idea of just how much Hogwarts really had to offer them.


End file.
